Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where Rancid Began, March 25, 2002
By A Customer
This is raw stuff. Once legends Operation Ivy broke up back in (I believe) 1989, Tim Armstrong was barely making it. Living on the streets, alcohol all the time, not a good way to be. His good friend Matt Freeman pulled him out of his funk and got him away from alcohol by forming Rancid. They got Brett Reed to play drums and the best band in the history of punk rock was formed. They played all over the Bay, including Gilman(which they had to do some good 'ol toilet cleaning to play at). They finally got a break when they signed with Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records, back then a small label. They released this album in 1993. Donnel Cameron, a good producer of early 90s punk, produced this and did a good job. Tim and Matt had been through quite a lot and they played some angry stuff here. Political stuff here, plus some stuff about life. This is fast, and not as melodic as their newer stuff (...And Out Come The Wolves). No ska or harmonies here, just angry music. This is SoCal thrash, sorta like Bad Religion or Black Flag. Tim's voice is the same as it is now, scratchy and a great punk voice. He does some great guitar stuff, good solos and riffs. But the guitar is nothing to Matt's amazing basslines. Some of his best ever in here. He does sing lead a little bit, his voice very nasally(the word everyone describes his voice with). He is a very emotional singer, but I still like Tim and Lars' voices better. Brett hadn't been playing for very long. His drumming is fast and pretty straight-forward. Adina starts with a big "LET'S GO!!!" from Tim and the fast, tough punk rock ensues. Quite catchy, but again, similar to BR. Detriot has amazing bass, a good story in this song. Brett drums quite well in the song Whirlwind, which is a catchy song. Outta My Mind has a poetic style to its lyrics, like their recent album "Life Won't Wait." This one is very melodic and quite simple. The Bottle deals with drinking, and is fast and angry. Unwritten Rules is a song about music bringing a poor neighborhood together. They play a version of Harry Bridges here, which will be on their next album, called "Let's Go." They cover an Uptones song, called Get Outta My Way. The Uptones were an agressive ska band that Tim and Matt loved as members of Operation Ivy. Anyways, Get Outta My Way is defintely the most melodic song on the album, and one of my favorites. If you're already a Rancid fan, this should be interesting to hear where they began, since their sound has changed greatly since 1993. Again, it reminds you of Tim's struggles in the period between Operation Ivy and Rancid. We're lucky he made it. Again, the songs are very agressive and forceful, so if you like that stuff, definitely buy this. If you've never heard any Rancid(and you should have by now) then this probably isn't the greatest album to get first. But get it otherwise.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Got a Good Feeling About a Good Album, June 3, 2005
Before "Ruby Soho", before "Time Bomb", and even before "Salvation", there was a band called Rancid that made raw punk rock with tons of energy and lots of experience (Operation Ivy). It shows extremely well in this album. Fast, angry, and highly motivating, this debut from the past Ivy members (with the addition of Brett Reed), is one of the most passionate punk rock albums ever produced. "Hyena", "Trenches", "Detroit", "Bottle", and "Rats in the Alleyway" are great songs with great sound. This whole album is great from start to end and anyone into Rancid now and aren't familiar with their old sound need to pick this album up. This is the Rancid I became a fan of.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Beggining of a Legend..., November 18, 2003
Rancid is and always will be one of the best ska-punk bands ever! They aren't sellouts and have maintained their trademark sound through the years. They matured and play better now, but this, this is were it all began. This is by far one of their best, and is certainly a must buy. I mean from start to finish I was captivated. Think Ramones+The Clash+Operation Ivy=Rancid. Check this out and their later effort "...And Out Come the Wolves."
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